New Nissan Leaf is Smarter and More Efficient than Ever

Tree-huggers everywhere rejoiced upon introduction of the Nissan Leaf. It was the first electric car mass-produced by a major auto maker – but that was 17 years ago. The technology found in the Leaf has now been surpassed by some of its competitors. In response, Nissan introduced the smarter, more capable, 2018 Leaf. 

Revolutionary electric powertrain

The latest incarnation of the Leaf features a lithium-ion battery pack rated at 40 kilowatt-hours. According to IEEE, this will allow the EV to travel up to 150 miles per charge. There will also be a 60kWh performance version of the Leaf, with a range of 300 miles. Either version is a great improvement over the current model's 30 kWh pack, with a range of about 107 miles. 

One potential issue though, is the charger. According to MotorTrend, the new Leaf uses the CHAdeMO standard for fast charging. Most other EVs have switched to SAE standard charging. This means the Leaf may have a hard time finding a place to juice. 

As for the electric motor, it's a synchronous design, cranking out 147 hp and 236 lb-ft. 

Cutting-edge technology

Electric cars and autonomy go hand and hand. So, it comes as no surprise that the 2018 Leaf features a ramped-up version of Nissan's autopilot system, ProPilot. You'll never get frustrated parallel parking again, as ProPilot does the job for you. It also takes over driving at slow speeds and on single-lane roads.

If you find two pedals overwhelming, you're in luck. There's no need to retake driver's Ed, as the 2018 Nissan Leaf has only one driving pedal. Nissan refers to this device as the "e-pedal". To accelerate, press down on the pedal. To brake, simply lift your foot off the pedal. Ah, the beauty of regenerative braking. 

Nissan is back in the EV game

The introduction of the 2018 Nissan Leaf has reinstated Nissan as a valid competitor in the EV competition. It's low MSRP of 29,990 is sure to draw attention from buyers looking to go green. 

Look out Tesla, the Nissan Leaf is back. 

Mia Bevacqua

Mia is an ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician, L1, L2 and L3 Advanced Level Specialist. She has over 12 years of experience in the automotive industry and a bachelor’s degree in automotive technology. These skills have been applied toward content writing, technical writing, inspections, consulting, automotive software engineering.